US Pushes for Kashmir Peace Deal
18 November 2009
'US Pushes for Kashmir Peace Deal', The Telegraph, 18 November 2009
EXCERPT: "In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the leader of the moderate Hurriyat Conference, said there had been a flurry of activity between New Delhi, Washington and Islamabad to kick-start a new dialogue. The dispute over Kashmir has blighted relations between India and Pakistan since their partition at independence in 1947, caused...
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The Taliban Quetta Shura: Fact or Fiction?
18 November 2009
'Taliban Commander: We're Fighting for "Independence"', MSNBC World Blog, 18 November 2009
EXCERPT: "In Pakistan, the issue is raised every day in the press and on the streets: Have the Afghan Taliban moved their power base from Kandahar and set-up shop in Quetta? . . . Some colleagues urged me to talk to Mullah Manan, a commander of 70 foot soldiers in Helmand province in Afghanistan, to try to get some...
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Following Army's Successes, Militants Change Tack in Pakistan
18 November 2009
, Asia Times Online, 18 November 2009
EXCERPT: "After a month of operations against militants in the South Waziristan tribal area on the border with Afghanistan, Pakistan's military establishment realizes it is chasing shadows; the adversary has simply melted into the vastness of the inhospitable surrounding territory. Unlike in previous operations in other troubled tribal areas, though,...
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Pakistan Slips Five Places in Transparency International Corruption Index
18 November 2009
'Press Release CPI 2009', Transparency International Pakistan, 17 November 2009
EXCERPT: "Pakistan 2009 Corruption Perceptions Index Score is 2.4, and out of 180 countries, its ranking as most corrupt country has slipped 5 ranks, from 47 in 2008 to 42 most corrupt country in 2009.The CPI 2009 reveals the effects of corruption in the subcontinent, which is more alarming in Pakistan, as Bangladesh which was the most corrupt country...
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Pew Poll: The Extremist Threat in Afghanistan and Pakistan
18 November 2009
'Americans and Western Europeans Agree on Afghanistan-Pakistan Extremist Threat', Pew Global Attitudes Project, 11 November 2009
EXCERPT: "A transatlantic consensus exists with regard to the threat posed by extremists in Afghanistan and Pakistan, even though Americans and Western Europeans generally disagree about what policy to pursue in Afghanistan. . . Concern is also shared about the potential danger from a Pakistan controlled...
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